Millions of people have been out on the streets and protesters have thrown street stones and bottles at riot police in several cities in France. Some parts of Paris are described as a war zone with a strong smell of smoke and shattered shop windows, and 5,000 police officers were on the scene in the city on Thursday.
The protests are about the French government's pension reform that will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. President Emmanuel Macron believes the current pension system is too expensive for France
Meanwhile, in social media, the mystery of a disappearing clock has become a talking point.
In an interview about pension reform, Macron has a watch on his wrist. The clock strikes the table.
Shortly thereafter, it is no longer on the president's wrist.
"This man is a joke"
The watch allegedly costs over $800,000, a symbol that the president is not practicing what he preaches and is out of touch with reality, according to critics. Macron is accused of hiding his alleged luxury watch during the interview to avoid hypocrisy accusations.
"While talking about low-income people, he discreetly removes his luxury watch. This man is a joke," French politician Clémence Guetté tweeted.
But according to the spokesperson for the president, the watch is not quite so expensive – according to them, the watch is a Bell & Ross BR V1-92, which should cost between twenty and thirty thousand.
According to the spokesperson, the president allegedly took off the watch solely because it hit the table.
Even then-Prime Minister Stefan Löfven (S) has found himself in the middle of a "clock scandal".
In the video above, you can see the clip with Macron, and a review of Löfven's famous watch – which was named "Socialist Clock".